The present invention relates to improvements in ladle steel treatment systems.
It is known that ladle steel treatment systems are designed notably with a view to reheat the metal to be treated while it is shielded from air or any other oxidizing atmosphere. Therefore, such a system must be so constructed that the ladle proper, its cover, and possibly its container as well as the electrode receiving recesses or pits, constitute a unitary, sealed assembly.
Moreover, systems of this character must meet, inter alia the following requirements:
1 -since the electrode receiving recesses, pits or casings must be capable of moving vertically through the ladle cover or the ladle container, the fluid-tightness of the passageways provided for these recesses involve the use of drive and guide means which must undergo a minimum of distortion when heated; PA1 2 - since the electrodes, consisting in general of a plurality of commercially available sections fitting into one another by means of nipples, are enclosed completely in their casings, some steps must be taken to prevent the breakage of the electrode in actual service, for example as a consequence of excessive electrodynamic stress. In fact, a broken electrode is likely to dip partially into the molten metal bath, thus delaying considerably the treatment operation and causing the loss of the ladle contents, an incipient solidification of the metal, and also serious damage to the equipment.